The Flip Side
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
While a car may bring ease to the grocery store and the Farmer's Market allows you to shop and cook while feeling like a true artiste, there is another side to this story. And it's a sad, saaaaaad, story.
Restaurants. Or rather, the dearth of them that exist in this city.
In New York, when the conversation turns to where to eat, there are endless options of delicious cuisine of every ethnicity, in every neighborhood, at every price. You can walk out your front door and choose your own adventure. When it seems that you've exhausted all the choices in your neighborhood and you feel like trying something a little different, well hell, you just walk a few cross town blocks and end up in a whole new culinary world. Not to mention the fact that the quality of food in Manhattan is unsurpassed (unless you're in Italy or Paris). Your corner Italian has the best tomato sauce in the West Village. That chinese restaurant around the corner from your office makes a mean General Tsau's Chicken. In one month you can visit restaurants headed by the likes of Tom Colicchio, Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, and Nobu Matsuhisa. And don't even get me started on the fact that Los Angeles, absolutely teaming with people trying to stay healthy, has a TOTAL shortage of salad places. (God, I miss those joints on every corner in midtown where you can toss your own salad. Mmmmmmmm. My mouth is watering....) The standard in NYC is high so if you're going to bother to open someplace new, then you need to match or surpass to succeed.
Not so in Los Angeles. For a major metropolis, the standard is actually fairly low here. (That's my opinion people. Just an opinion. But a strong one.) San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston are all culinary delights. It seems that Los Angeles should at least match them! But alas, it does not. There are stretches for miles here without a good eatery. I'm tired of seeing Subway as opposed to some great, adorable sandwich shop. There are a lot of restaurants that would pass for "just fine" - but do I need to go back? Eh.
Now, I will not say that Los Angeles doesn't have any fabulous finds, must-visits, or genuine gems. They just aren't on every block. Or every other block. Or...you get the picture. It's rare that you can simply walk to any of them. In fact, if you live in Hollywood, you're painfully far from one of the more interesting gastronomic epicenters, Santa Monica. If you're going to have dinner there, you better plan on forgoing that last glass of vino because you've got a 40 minute drive home.
As time goes on, I will lovingly reveal my lists of California faves as well as places that leave me feeling like there's a little piece of the Big Apple here in the LA. But I couldn't move forward without providing the yin to yesterday's yang.
Posted byMeesh-elle my Belle at 4:02 PM
Labels: food and drink
